| Overcoming Wrap Rage |
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 Did you ever think about how much inconvenience the bad guys (and gals) in the world cause for the rest of us? I am reminded of this every time that I go to the airport and have to endure the long security lines that were implemented because of terrorists. On a more regular basis, I am faced with having to enter complex key codes and go through product activations because the software companies are trying to thwart software pirates.Even if you don't have a computer, this time of year you are sure to be irritated by the aggravation caused by the bad guys -- product packaging. Almost all manufacturers today put their products in excessively large and difficult to open packages to deter shoplifters. We pay the price with the hassle and sometimes even the injury that the packaging can cause. Now I don't suppose that there is anything that we can do to lessen what we go through because of the terrorist or software pirates, but we have, as least made a little progress on lessening the packaging aggravations caused by the shoplifters. This year Amazon has announced an amazing new concept - The Amazon Frustration-FreeTM Packaging. They describe this new initiative as "designed to alleviate "wrap rage," (it) features recyclable boxes that are easy to open and free of excess materials such as hard plastic clamshell cases, plastic bindings, and wire ties. The product itself is exactly the same-we've just streamlined the packaging." The first products of this type are some flash memory cards, computer mice, and Fisher-Price toys. Amazon says that this is a multi-year initiative, which suggests that they hope to expand it in the future. It is actually a logical solution. The store packaging is created to stop shoplifters and there are no shoplifters in online stores. So they can eliminate the massive packaging that causes so much frustration. Since Amazon has trade-marked the names Frustration-Free for packaging, you won't see this name elsewhere, but perhaps the concept will catch on. Because the hard-to-open packaging has caused so much frustration, Amazon has started a website called "The Gallery of Wrap Rage." It is appropriately found at www.amazon.com/frustration. Check it out. The website is filled with pictures and videos that people have posted about their frustrations with packaging. If you have had similar experiences, you can even post your own pictures and/or videos. I was impressed by the photo of the two-year-old who was in tears while the father frantically tried to get her toy out of the package. The very same thing happened at our house last Christmas. We won't, however, replay that scene this year. I have found a little gadget that eliminates much of the frustration of opening packages. It's a little tool called the Open It Universal Package Opener  . Since I discovered this tool a few months ago I have put one in the kitchen, one in the office, and one in the garage. The Open It is an orange-handled device that looks like a pair of pruning shears. The cutting blades make it easy to cut through tough plastic clam shells and binding straps. There is also a retractable razor blade and one of the handles holds a small fold-out dual-head screwdriver, perfect for opening those battery compartments. The Open It by Zibra can be found at Amazon, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and other stores of this type. It's not exactly a high-tech tool, but at $10-$14 it's a pretty inexpensive way to get all those high tech gadgets and toys out of the package.
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